116 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 10-Nn. 8 



The morning of the 2fith was blight and 

 clear as we steijpetl from the door to have a 

 day with tlie Ptarmigan. We liad borrowed a 

 (hig from a neighbor, and after a walk of four 

 miles went out upon the marsh. We entered a 

 large gulley and had walked nearly through it 

 before we started a flock, f 'ahoon and I both 

 fired at the same bird, which under the circum- 

 stances came to bag. A little fartlicr along 

 and another flock went up, from which Cahoon 

 got one, but I was too far away to get a sliot. I 

 marked them down though they flew a long 

 w.ay, in a row of " Tucks." 



Going in that direction one got upto Cahoon, 

 another fell sti-uck by a charge from both of 

 us, and in a moment anotlier was u]) on my 

 side, and came to earth again without delay. 



We each took one side of the "Tucks" and 

 soon another bird ro.se, twisted over toCalioon's 

 side and was doubled up in a twinkling. The 

 dog was very wild and kindly started two 

 flocks out of rifle range. After teaching liim a 

 few points in behavior we ranged ahead. Two 

 Snipe got up to me, one going straight aw.ay 

 and the other a right quarter. I tried to make 

 a double and made a double OO. I do not 

 think this gun shoots right. 



The next bird was a Ptarmigan, ami it fell 

 riddled, for Gaboon and I for a third time lired 

 simultaneously. 



While f(dlowing the "Tucks," I sighted six 

 Geese sitting in the marsh about ."lOO yards 

 away and we commenced to "stalk" them. 

 The ground was too open, however, for this 

 sort of work and they soon got up, but settled 

 again on a bit of high ground about a half mile 

 away. This spot was surrounded by gullies, 

 and while I attracted the attention of the birds 

 Cahoon crept along fin his hands and knees 

 until he gained the cover of the gullies, sixty 

 yards away. The advance was now easy, 

 until within 200 yards, when he was compelled 

 to work along in the grass, and though in plain 

 sight so slow were his movements that he got 

 within 12.5 yards. He now i)ut both barrels 

 into the thick of them and up went the six 

 geese into the air. One, however, had more 

 than he could carry and throwing his head 

 back returned to Mother Earth witli a 

 tlnul. 



This was the end of our sport for the day 

 for we saw no more birds. We reacdieil 

 Custlett at 7 p.m. tired out, having covered 

 nearly twenty miles of marsh, nearly all the 

 way being knee deep in soft moss. Our bag 

 was eight Ptarmigan, one Snipe an<l a (Canada 

 Goose. 



Other birds for the week were Golden Plover 

 and Pectoral Sandi)ipcr. 



On the 2!)tli we took a north(^asterly direction 

 'vith the idea of striking tlie head of Ihc 

 Custlett Ilivei'. We were soon among the 

 Ptarmigan and clearly forgot the time, so that 

 we did not start for home until nearly five 

 o'clock. Darkness soon overtook us, ami if 

 iintti dark. 



We tramped along mile after mile tlirougb the 

 mud and w.iter nj) to the knees, momentarily 

 exjiecting to fall into some hole. We avoi(h'd 

 the " tucks " as much as possilde and at last 

 by great good luck .and closely f(dlowing the 

 compass, we fimnd the road not far from our 

 lodgings. 



This was only a sample, and on Friday tlie 

 same locality was visited, liut by a ditlerent 

 route, and this time we arrived home at a 

 seasonable hour, not having seen a bird in the 

 twenty miles' walk until we were witliin a half 

 mile of Custlett, when \w started a tlock of 

 Ptarmigan. 



The other birds for the week were Swamp> 

 Savannnh and Fox .Sparrows; Common and 

 Iludsonian Chickadee; a Woodpecker and a 

 few Gulls and Ducks. 



The next few days developed little of inter- 

 est except a very bad cold wliicli made me very 

 uncomfortable, so that I did little work, but 

 on the 9th the Ptarmigan were tried once 

 more. The wind was cold, blowing from the 

 north, when we stepped on the marshes. 'I'lie 

 first birds wiiieh went up sent the blood at a 

 rate which soon warmed us up, and I 

 wounded one of them, but he was not killed, and 

 put into a " tuck." I followed him and a fresh 

 bird got up in front of me which I dropped, 

 killed dead. At the same time my wounded 

 bird flushed, and Mr. Calioon stopped ins fur- 

 tlier progress. 



On the other side of the liill the dog ixiinted 

 again and two birds got up, to come back to 

 earth again and repose in our game bags. It 

 was some time before we found again, but 

 when we did it was a large flock and I selected 

 an old cock-bird and di'opped him with a <lozen 

 somersaults. Cahoou followed suit, and a third 

 which we could not tell to whom it belonged 

 went lip into the air thirty or forty feet, set its 

 wings and sailed off. We ilid not fire at it 

 •ag.iin as we expected it would drop, but it scaled 

 out of range. 



I found my liird not (piitc dead and w'ns 

 finishing it when uj) went another bird and 

 bang! went Calioon's gun. Down it c.ime and 

 uj) it went again going past my head like a 



